A Stolen Gem
by MoonDancer12398
Summary: Christine is a private investigator hired to track down the phantom criminal and bring him into custody.
1. Chapter 1

Amber eyes gleamed as he crept up beside the sleeping lady. He reached next to her, past her, only to grab her famously ornate jewelry on the night table. Then, cape swinging over his eyes, he disappeared into the night. The Phantom had struck again! The Phantom was a notorious criminal, even among the criminal network itself. It was said that his preferred method was to quietly creep in and out of homes, stealing people's most treasured possessions, but wasn't a stranger to murder and torture to extract information, either. In fact, he had a favorite method of death- the Punjab lasso. But don't be fooled simply by that one limiting method, no, the Phantom criminal had methods of killing and torture that couldn't even be imagined by the normal human. Thinking about his reputation as he fled into the night, he chuckled bitterly to himself. He wouldn't have had to become a famous criminal if not for his face.

Yes, his face. It was rumored that his mother had bedded the Devil himself, and produced a child with a disfigurement so severe that he had to wear a mask since birth. She then kicked him out of the house at a tender age of 10, and he was left to fend for himself. So, he started small. A coin pickpocketed here, a fruit snatched there. Nobody thought much of it. But then, as knowledge about his legendary stealing reached criminal ears, he began to work as a trained assassin, to torture people to gather their information, and then kill them brutally to send a message: _this was not a man to be trifled with_. After a while, however, he grew tired of his routine life. Torture, then kill. Torture, then kill. He broke away from the mafia that hired him and started out as a new criminal, stealing the most valuable possessions he could for the thrill. He purposely gave himself seemingly impossible challenges to heighten his skills, his sense of excitement.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Sorry the chapters are so short! They will slowly get longer as I find my footing in this fandom (I've read so many but this is my first story) I sent the first chapter out as kind of a prologue, tester chapter, and seeing as how I got positive feedback on the story, I decided to go with it. Thank you to darkraistlyn for being my first reviewer! And thank you to those who have decided to decided to follow this story, thank you as well! I hope you enjoy the second chapter!**

Christine threw a ball against a wall, and watched as it returned to her waiting hand. She hadn't gotten a case in months, the fun cases all going to the male detectives. It was hard, being a woman in the detective field, but Christine wouldn't let that deter her from continuing her life passion. Ever since she was a little girl, only two things interested her: singing and investigating. The singing hadn't gone as planned, seeing as her voice was weak and untrained, so she turned to her second favorite hobby, intent on making it her career, even if she did miss out on all the exciting cases, particularly the curious case of the phantom criminal. She had heard the rumors, as had most of the force, but Christine took a special liking to the idea of the phantom criminal- it was rumored that not only did he steal just for the thrill, but he also used the money obtained from these stolen items to give to the children on the streets. Much like a modern day Robin Hood. She got stuck with working cases mostly with women and children, or was regulated to the "Women's Bureau" where she mostly did boring paperwork. She yearned for the sense of adventure a stakeout would bring, or a foot chase where she imagined herself heroically tackling the phantom and finally taking him into custody.

"Christine?" Raoul broke in, interrupting her train of thought.

"Yes, sorry Raoul, what was that?" Christine smacked herself on the head inwardly. It wouldn't do any good for her head to be in the clouds, especially not in front of Raoul. A young and coming detective, Raoul would someday inherit the company from his father. He was rich, and good looking, and Christine sometimes found herself gazing longingly his way before shaking her head with such foolishness. She had a motto to never date her coworkers, no matter how… appealing they might seem.

"Christine, you have been assigned a case. None of our detectives have been able to catch this criminal, and my father thought that you could go undercover as a criminal yourself to seduce this man and bring him back captive," Raoul explained.

"Seduce a man? Have you lost your mind? I have never! I wouldn't know how." Christine sighed in defeat. A case was assigned to her, but was something at which she was sure to fail. As a petite, brunette woman with chocolate doe eyes and fair skin, Christine did not consider herself exceptionally pretty, and certainly not pretty enough to tempt a criminal- no matter who he might be.

"I'm sure you'll pick up the ways, Christine. You've been asking for a case for months now, visit a brothel and learn their ways for all I care," Raoul callously replied. "You said you would do anything for a case, well, here's your chance to prove it.

Christine could feel her heart break. Sure, she wasn't allowed to date coworkers, by her own rules, but did Raoul really think so little of her? She didn't want her good reputation sacrificed for this one criminal, unless… was she assigned the phantom criminal? She would do anything to be the one to bring him to custody and be hailed a hero, even if- she thought distastefully- she had to give up what was left of her good name in society.

"Which criminal is it?" She asked, clearing her head. She wanted a case, and if that's what it took to get one, well then, she would seduce a man.

"It is the Phantom criminal," Raoul responded, and Christine's heart soared. "But, there's a catch. Since you haven't been assigned a case in some time, you will be working with me to find this criminal's whereabouts. We'll have to train you to be able to handle yourself among the criminals, where fights are common and rape even more so. So you'll have to handle yourself with care, but still become one of them. Is that clear? I- I mean, we, wouldn't want something to happen to you."

"Crystal," Christine breathed, her breath hitching. She was almost certain that Raoul had said he personally cared for her well-being.

* * *

Meanwhile, the phantom criminal returned to his lair after a long night spent composing. Yes, composing. Not only did he steal, he also fancied himself a bit of a musician. Well, he chuckled quietly to himself, much the musician. Nobody knew the connection, but the phantom who supposedly terrorized the ballerinas was the very same phantom criminal. On his off nights, the ones spent not stealing and giving back to those children with whom he so identified, he ran an opera house. Well, not him necessarily, but he oversaw everything that went on with it and made _suggestions_ to the managers of the establishment. He had become quite good at making his presence known among the managers. He never asked for any payment, merely that Box 5 be kept empty for his own, personal use.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hi everyone! Thanks for your awesome reviews! Everytime I look over them (yes, I read them multiple times) it makes me so happy knowing that people are reading and enjoying my story. I'll be sure to update again before Christmas as a present to you all. I'm not the happiest with the end of this chapter, but it needed to be set up for foreshadowing in the story ;)**

* * *

The Phantom looked up from his composition, and blinked in surprise. His candles had burned much lower than expected; they were almost to the bottom. He glanced back at his composition, satisfied with it for the night (well, early morning) and decided to steal some food from the kitchens while he waited for the ballerinas to awaken and begin practicing. He had an appreciation for all things beautiful, from music to dance, since God had robbed him of that luxury. He was born a beast, and beast he should remain unless, he chuckled bitterly to himself, he would find his Beauty to free him from that horrible curse. Of course, he reminded himself, this was real life and there was no curse placed upon him, he was simply born this way. There would never be anybody that would look past his face, not to mention criminal activities (even if he did use that money for good). In his mind, a world where no child was on the streets would be perfect. That's why he ultimately decided to continue with his thievery. He asked no money from the real managers of the opera house, as the opera house they were managing was doing terribly with the current prima donna, Carlotta.

How he wished that Carlotta would just quit! But no, she was currently involved with one of the managers, and thus stayed. The Phantom knew that should he find such a pure voice, he could mold it into something magnificent. But there has been no such voice, and so, Carlotta stayed. She did have some talent, the Phantom conceded, in a screechy, sometimes pitchy kind of way. But the main reason the Phantom couldn't stand her was the way she treated everyone. At times, her cold-heartedness reminded him of his mother, a person who he loathed beyond all measure. Why, she was his first kill. Most would faint at the thought of killing their own, but the way she tortured him when he was younger, with the constant whippings and food deprivation at the slightest instance of displeasing her, he held no sympathy when he saw the light fade from her eyes. He learned after that to use his talent for killing in a way to kill those he felt had done the world an injustice- anyone that crossed his mafia group, or corrupt leaders and those in positions of power. The Phantom didn't want to cause anarchy, but to kill is sometimes a necessary evil.

Clearing his head of his past, he blew out the candles and went to his bedchamber to get a couple of hours of sleep before a new day came of critiquing ballerinas and terrorizing Carlotta.

* * *

"Ouch! Stop pushing me!" Christine complained as Raoul shoved her down a dank alleyway.

"Christine, you need to stop, and be quiet," Raoul hissed. "We may have gotten a lead on the Phantom criminal's whereabouts."

It had been a few months since Christine had been assigned the case, and Raoul had made it his personal mission to see that she was up to speed in _all_ aspects that she would need to crack this case. That included the hand to hand combat, weapons training, and the fine art of seduction. Raoul had laughed at Christine's initial attempts, something Christine would remember at random moments still and blush. One of the first scenarios went a little something like this:

"Christine, walk seductively towards me, and tilt your head a little." Christine complied "No, tilt your head less, you look like you have a problem. Now look out from underneath your lashes and pout." Christine did as told, feeling foolish. "No, Christine, you look like a duck." Raoul criticized.

At that point, Natasha (a secretary to the head detective, Raoul's father) came in and asked, "What are you doing to this poor girl?"

Raoul defended himself saying "I'm teaching her how to seduce a man, a skill that will come in handy when she is trying to get close to the Phantom criminal."

"That is no way to seduce a man, the girl looks pained!" Natasha replied, a look of annoyance flitting across her face. "A woman should teach her how to behave."

"That's not so," Raoul argued. "We men know what we want."

Natasha just simply rolled her eyes and led Christine to another room in the facility. "It's okay, Christine, only few women are born knowing how to flirt and seduce. What draws men to you is your innocence, so I'll just give you a few tips and how things mechanically work, and then I'll send you on your way.

After a few hours Christine came out of the room looking dazed, her head trying to process all that she had just learned. Sure, she knew the basic mechanisms of how it all worked, but never had she been versed so… thoroughly… in how to please a man, along with a couple of other tips to flirt with him.

Raoul grabbed the front of Christine's outfit, intent on getting her out of her head. Instinctively, Christine got into a stance, interlocked her fingers behind Raoul's neck, dropped down on one knee, and rotated behind him so she held him in a blood choke. Raoul yelled out "CHRISTINE STOP!"

She released Raoul, the adrenaline still in her veins. "Well, at least we know the hand to hand combat training wasn't wasted," muttered Raoul, still a bit shaken from the encounter. "Just don't do that to the Phantom criminal, and you'll be fine."

"Sorry, my head was in the clouds" Christine apologized, her eyes downcast. "I don't like it when people grab me."

"Christine," Raoul reasoned, "I'm fine. I won't do anything to hurt you."

* * *

 **AN (again!) Hi again, I just have a few questions about what you enjoyed and didn't enjoy in this chapter.**

 **1\. Did you like Raoul's advice on how to make Christine seductive?**

 **2\. Did you like Natasha's advice that Christine should remain her innocent self around the Phantom?**

 **3\. Did you like the little bit of street fighting Christine used on Raoul? (That was actually a real technique I learned while training, and if you want more techniques described, please comment!)**


End file.
